.....Whoa!!! Breda has never encountered the concept of recordings before and that's AMAZING! 

- can they record her singing something and play it back to her? She's just– she's never even imagined being able to experience that and it's a fascinating idea! 

Sure, this green can do that right here and now!

Amazing! 

Breda will sing a new song for them! It was written about a powerful Herald-Mage who's now a war hero, and...she will tell the people here, in confidence, that she knew him when he was just a boy.... The song is called Shadow Stalker. And it goes like this - 

It was just a week till Sovven, and the nights were turning chill
And the battle turned to stalemate, double-bluff, and feint and drill
When a shadow drifted northward, just a shadow, nothing more.
No one noticed that the shadows grew all darker than before.

No one noticed that the shadows seemed to creep into the heart,
But from then the fight for freedom seemed a fool's quest from the start.
All the hopes that they had cherished seemed unreasoned and naive
Nothing worth the strength to pray for, or to strive for, or believe... 

The Amentans listen quietly so the microphone won't pick up noise. When she's done the green doing the recording for her warns her that the sound quality won't be great since they aren't in an acoustically perfect studio, and also a lot of people don't like what their voice sounds like outside their head since they're used to it from the inside instead, but they assure her she sounded good and it's just that if she doesn't like what the recording turned out like. Here it is!

......Auuughhhh. 

- okay, objectively speaking that sounds pretty good! If that were a distorted-playback of one of her students, she would praise them for it! However. Gah. Is that really what her voice sounds like. 

"- Do you like the song?" she asks, feeling shyer than she has since she was a trainee. 

"It's catchy! It's hard to appreciate the poetry in a new language and I'm not used to the style but I could see it being popular on Amenta - do you want us to send it along, they'll be so excited -"

Aaaaaaaah!

”Could I record a few others and you can send them in the same package?” At least maybe all her most actually-embarrassing mistakes will cancel out and most listeners will like at least one of the songs…

"Of course!" They will record as many songs as she cares to sing and make sure she has water to hand.

Cool! 

Breda sings all the way through the Windrider cycle - after explaining that it's a historical set of ballads, written shortly after the founding of Valdemar 0 and then sings Demonsbane, and a couple of other (worse) songs about Herald Vanyel's war exploits. 

(It's probably going to be notable to the listeners that Vanyel's name is coming up repeatedly, and in the context of songs about very recent events.) 

"You knew this Vanyel person when he was a child, right?" someone mentions, peering at the translations of the songs.

"I did, yes! He's had some rather impressive exploits since then." 

"He's still around? What's he doing now?"

"- I guess he's still down on the border fighting the stupid goddamned war? Though I haven't heard of any song-worthy battles he fought in the last couple months." 

"I really hope we can get that all resolved so everyone can go home soon!"

"I hope so too. I miss him. And - I'm sure he'd be glad not to have to keep fighting. He hates it." 

"Stands to reason! What's his peacetime job?"

"He's a Herald? Though I guess I don't know how much you've heard about what Heralds do." 

"It seemed like a rank more than a job, per se."

"Hmm. I can see that, I guess? It's - not exactly a rank, not in the sense the Guard has, where you can - advance to a higher rank with experience? Someone either is a Herald or they're not. But it's also not just one role that they play. Heralds do so many things for Valdemar– Oh! Have I sung you the song about the Heralds' oath, yet? I don't think I have, I should–" 

And she starts singing. 

I pledge this day my sword, my heart to build and help preserve;
Although I live my life apart from those that I must serve.
The laws of truth I will obey in every thought and deed,
Stand fast while others turn away, upon The Herald's Creed.

I vow to heal the wrongs I see as long as I shall live.
My heart will guide me faithfully and teach me how to give,
I'll render aid as best I can to those who are in pain
And by the strength of my own hand restore the peace again.

The deeds of those who lived before, have bound my life to theirs.
Their legends opened up the door and taught me how to care
The touch of my Companion's thoughts bring friendship, song and joy.
It is a bond that love has wrought and time cannot destroy.

I swear to guard and keep the Crown defending all that's just,
No force will ever bring it down, this is our sacred trust.
My path is clear before me now, my choices all are made
In Honor's name I take a vow to face life unafraid.

Upon my soul I make a vow this light will never fade.

They think this is very pretty, though they keep shooting each other slightly puzzled looks.

"I know that's pretty, er, vague on their duties," Breda admits after she's reached the end of the song. "Heralds lead and protect and serve Valdemar. They've got a wide range of responsibilities - they're often messengers, peacekeepers along with the Guard, and judges. Most of our Heralds are on circuit at any given time - they'll be assigned a section of Valdemar to ride through, and stop in each town to resolve civil disputes, uphold Valdemaran law, dispense justice, and represent the monarch - and of course offer services that can only be done with magic. They're also sent to respond to crises. And of course they've played a huge role in the war." 

"That's a lot of responsibilities for people to have to learn to handle," ventures a green.

"I suppose it is! Do your people divide those responsibilities up more, between different people?" 

"Oh, yes, and in many cases totally different castes. Blues are judiciary, yellows do less heavily authoritative administrative work, greys do fighting, obviously we don't have a caste having to do with magic so I'm not sure how we'd handle that if it came up."

"Huh. Are the other castes at least trained in self-defence, or do they always need to travel with, er, greys as guards?"